Technology Mediated Collaborations in Healthcare

Question: Discuss about the Technology Mediated Collaborations in Healthcare. Answer: Introduction: The present case study is presented with a number of issues in the context of the contemporary ways healthcare is delivered in the present era. The world is witnessing rapid advancements in the all major spheres and healthcare is not left behind. The rising demand of the increasing population of healthcare consumers with varied needs has forced healthcare sector to adopt to novice technologies and implement them in their services (Paul et al., 2017). In the present case study, the issues presented are significant since they are not appropriate and safe for a patient and might result in poor health outcomes. The first issue is related to the suggestion of the physician for a similar pregnancy test to be done for Jane as the one she had done at her home. It is expected that a physician suggests an advanced and accurate pregnancy detection test be done for a patient that is less chances of giving false results than an ordinary method (Nigam et al., 2014). The second issue is that the referral letter of the physician produced by Jane at the Birth Centre was placed by the receptionist in a folder from the archive. Placing the important documents manually in a folder increases the chances of misplacement and mishandling. The next issue was that Jane had been asked to complete the assessment questionnaire at the centre itself with no provision for modifications and update information. It is convenient that the assessment is carried out in a manner that is efficient in extracting all the necessary vital detail of the patient (Considine Currey, 2015). The next major issue was that Jane had to register again at the main hospital when sent for the blood test. There was also a lack of adequate planning of the medical procedures to be carried out as the phlebotomist was unable to draw the blood for the cystic fibrosis genetic test since it was a Saturday. It is ideal that all the medical procedures are executed at a single time for reducing unnecessary inconvenience and achieving optimal care delivery (Grol et al., 2013). The patient care journey can be improved to a considerable extent using the Information and Communication Technology (ICT). ICT can be used to address the issues arising in communication between different healthcare settings and the management of healthcare records (Lindberg et al., 2013). The redesigning of the care services through ICT would include implementation of Electronic Health Records (EHR), Electronic Transfer of Prescription (ETP), Electronic Appointment Booking Systems, and Personal Health Record (Wildevuur Simonse, 2015). Electronic Health Records (EHR) are responsible for aggregating patient-centric health data from the record systems of more than one healthcare organisation. This would be beneficial for transferring healthcare information between two organisations as a result of which the concerned individual can access the patient information from a remote location. Electronic Transfer of Prescription (ETP) is suitable for physicians to make prescriptions and for patients to refer to them. Electronic Appointment Booking Systems permit a patient to select the date, time and place of the first outpatient appointment. Electronic appointment booking systems have the capability to exist as a standalone application. Lastly, Personal Health Record (PHR) would be the Internet-based set of tools, owned and controlled by the patient that permit the patient to access as well as coordinate the health information. The appropriate parts of the set of information can be made available to the professionals who req uire them later in life. For a successful transition of the existing health care system to an IT-enabled healthcare system a proper coordination with the patients is pivotal (Weaver et al., 2016). Mamlin and Tierney (2016) presents that ICT in healthcare sector brings along a number of advantages and benefits for the patients as well as the healthcare settings. The key technologies can help with reference to a range of metrics, including- Availability- This refers to the access to best medical procedures at the desired time frame. Waiting time for the patient to access the support systems would be considerably reduced. Better utilisation of resources would also be achieved. Continuity of care- Adequate information sharing and coordination of care among care providers would perhaps be the most significant aspect of benefits received. Empowerment- Patients would be enabled to take part in their own care activities and have shared decision making. Patient safety- Reducing risks of patient harm would be vital for ICT. Quality of care- Improvement in quality of care and their effectiveness would be apt. ICT promises to deliver a wide range of beneficial applications that are applicable for different patient scenarios, including pregnancy. However, there are chances of challenges to be faced that might affect the accomplishment of the changes to be brought about in the system. These would include adequate funding, systems implementation, effective process re-engineering, and the capacity of the Heath Service Executive (HSE) to adapt to and absorb the new methods of operation (Matta-Machado et al., 2017). A lack of skilled professionals is a major issue faced while bringing about changes in the way healthcare system works, since without skills and adequate knowledge of the HSE it would be difficult and unsafe to implement the new systems on a large scale. Training and regular monitoring of the professionals is necessary, and this implies that a team of senior professionals is required who can monitor and supervise the training sessions. Adequate funding is required for carrying out th e training sessions which again is an issue in itself (Lisiecka-Bie?anowicz Wawrzyniak, 2016). According to Chan and Holosko (2016), though much of the communications technology necessary would be available readily and improvements are to be achieved surely iin future, there are risks of challenges at the initial phase while implementing ICT in healthcare. A very serious concern of implementation of advanced health care record system is patient privacy. 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